To the editor:

Vote for Sheridan Chester for Lee County School Board District 7 at large.

Sheridan’s top priorities include: Realistic living wage for our teachers, hire and retain qualified, dedicated educators for our students, maintain a safe environment for our students and teachers and practice responsible fiscal management.

The Lee County School Board has been failing our children. Comprised of mostly non-educators, the current board has failed to stem the drastic teacher shortage, has gone beyond state mandates to remove books from classrooms, and rejects a culture of tolerance and inclusion. This in a district that has a 60% minority enrollment.

The current 10-year plan sees significant student growth which may require10 new schools. However, Sheridan knows that the severe teacher shortage along with high expenses and low wages in the county are forcing people to leave. As a school board member, Sheridan will ensure that the new 10-year plan clearly takes into account the actual circumstances.

Sheridan Chester is a master educator, a dedicated public servant who has been teaching the children of Lee County for 23 years, as a middle school substitute teacher, the last two years teaching GED. Chester was twice named “Teacher of the Year for Middle School.”

Lee County School Board needs at least one representative who has taught in our schools. Sheridan knows what our students and families need and is superbly prepared to deliver.

Dennis Raube

Fort Myers